


The Future is Full of Possibilities (and chocolate biscuits)

by Netgirl_y2k



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Merlin (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-06
Updated: 2011-10-31
Packaged: 2017-10-13 02:11:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/131667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Netgirl_y2k/pseuds/Netgirl_y2k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That time the Doctor and Donna accidentally kidnapped Morgana.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Doctor and Donna had absolutely, positively not kidnapped the Lady Morgana from the court of Camelot. But you try explaining that to Uther Pendragon. 

The Doctor's explanation that it had all been a massive misunderstanding and, well, no harm done had already fallen on deaf ears. As had Donna's interjection that Morgana looked a bit miserable in Camelot and, really, had seemed much happier tagging along in the TARDIS. 

For her part Morgana said nothing, the bloody little madam.

The Doctor tried again to reason with Uther. "I've got this travelling machine, you see, looks like a box, little blue box, only it's bigger on the inside--"

"Bigger on the inside?" Uther interrupted.

Morgana was standing a little behind Uther and Donna saw her eyes widen slightly. In the time she'd been travelling with them Donna had gotten quite good at interpreting Morgana's selection of smirks and facial ticks; this was the equivalent of anyone else waving their arms around, jumping up and down and shouting "STOP THE DOCTOR TALKING" at the top of their lungs. 

"Yes, its trasc--" the Doctor began cheerfully.

"Sorcery most foul!" bellowed Uther.

"There's no such thing as magic," said the Doctor.

"Oh, bloody hell," said Donna.

Morgana rolled her eyes heavenwards and said nothing.

"Throw them in the dungeons," said Uther.

*

It began, as most things did, with the Doctor's total inability to drive the TARDIS in a straight line.

"You said you'd take me to the beach," said Donna. "This isn't the beach."

"I think it's a castle," said the Doctor, pointing the sonic screwdriver down the corridor. "There are some very interesting energy signals coming from down here."

"A very  _draughty_  castle," said Donna pointedly. 

The Doctor looked at Donna, she was wearing a bathing costume, flip-flops and had a sarong tied round her waist. "On second thoughts," he said, "the energy signals aren't that interesting after all."

*

Back onboard the TARDIS, Donna left the Doctor to commune with the console and went to get changed. 

"Doctor?" she called over the noise of the engines starting up. "You'd better come through here. There's a girl in the TARDIS."

And there was, standing just on the other side of the door from the console room. A girl who was all smirks, dark hair and a desperate need for a decent dressmaker; seriously, her skirt carried on for several yards after it reached her feet.

"Oh, hello," said the Doctor. "Now, you're either a manifestation of the TARDIS's subconscious, or--"

"Or," said Donna, "you forgot to lock the door and she wandered in from outside, Dumbo."

The sonic screwdriver, which the Doctor had been pointing at the girl, concurred with Donna with a sad little bleep. 

The Doctor rallied marvellously. "Well, hello. I'm the Doctor and this is Donna."

"I'm the Lady Morgana," said the girl, looking caught between distaste and amusement at having her arm pumped enthusiastically up and down by the Doctor.

"Have you home in just a minute," promised the Doctor, dashing off to the console room. 

It might have been Donna's imagination, but her high and mightiness the Lady Morgana did not look too impressed with this plan.

*

There was a small problem getting Morgana home. This was explained to her over tea and biscuits in the TARDIS kitchen. 

"There's some strange energy signals coming from your castle, and I think they're interfering with the temporal sensors."

"Also," said Donna, "Spaceman can't find reverse gear."

Morgana managed a not unpleasant smirk and looked at the biscuit on the plate in front of her. "What did you say this was called again?"

"A chocolate bourbon," said Donna. "Perfect cure for whatever ails you."

"I doubt that," said Morgana, but she ate the biscuit anyway.

*

Given that she was from somewhere in the vicinity of the ninth century the Doctor explained TARDIS travel to Morgana in somewhat simplistic terms. 

"Imagine somewhere really big, okay? Bigger than anywhere you've ever been before. Big like, oh, Scotland is big. And the TARDIS can travel anywhere in the universe, I mean Scotland, instantaneously."

Morgana looked over her shoulder to where the squid aliens were patrolling the asteroid, separated from the prisoners by a shimmering force-field. 

"Yes," she said drily. "Scotsmen are famous for having tentacles. And gills."

Donna laughed and nudged Morgana's shoulder companionably. "Oh, you can definitely stay."

*

One of the mysteries of the TARDIS was that she provided whatever sleepwear you felt most comfortable in. 

In Donna's case this meant tartan pyjamas and fluffy slippers, in the Doctor's it meant a dressing gown with bananas in the pockets (Donna  _did not_  want to know) and in Morgana's case it apparently meant a floor length nightgown with elaborate gold brocade.

Well, whatever kept you warm at night. 

"Sleep well?" the Doctor asked.

"Not really," replied Morgana.

"Bad dreams?" asked Donna. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, after those squid aliens Donna had been tormented by a dream where the Doctor had tentacles in place of his hair.

"No," said Morgana with a vague smirk. "But I kept hearing this voice, a woman's voice, calling my name every time I started to fall asleep."

The Doctor's head snapped up from the circuit board he was fiddling with. "That sounds like the TARDIS."

"The... ship speaks."

"Sometimes. When she feels like it. If she likes you."

Morgana actually lowered herself to cracking a proper smile at that. "I like her too. She sounds nice. Sad, perhaps, and lonely, but nice."

"Well," said the Doctor, "we're all lonely."

"I'm not," said Donna, who hadn't finished her first cup of coffee and really thought the cryptic conversations could keep till about lunchtime. She shoved a mug of tea into Morgana's hands to distract her from making any more opaque pronouncements. 

"Are there any more of those chocolate biscuits?" Morgana asked.

"Not for breakfast, Princess."

*

"That was nice," said the Doctor. His hair was plastered to his forehead with mud. "A nice bracing walk in the fresh air. Wasn't that nice, Donna?"

Donna was about to tell him in no uncertain terms that no, no it had not been nice. It had, in fact, been a swamp, a swamp that the TARDIS had sank waist deep into in the fifteen minutes that they'd been away. 

But before she did anything, Donna plopped down on the pilot's seat. She pulled off one of her boots, upended it and watched alien mud gloop out onto the floor.

Her gaze met Morgana's. Morgana hadn't been dressed when they'd landed and she'd promised to catch the Doctor and Donna up. She was now standing in the console room in one of her elaborate ball gown ensembles, utterly free of the grey-green muck that coated the other two, watching the mud drip off Donna and splatter on the floor.

"And you can wipe that smirk right off your face, Missy," Donna informed her. 

*

"Never do that again. Not ever," said the Doctor, softly, dangerously.

"Do what?" said Morgana, the semi-permanent smirk crept back onto her face, and Donna had never wanted to smack it off so much as she did now. "Save your life? Save Donna's life?"

"Not by killing."

"He deserved it, the emperor, he'd murdered thousands of his own people!"

"You can't stop people like that by killing them, all it does is make you like them."

"I am  _nothing_  like that," seethed Morgana.

"Then prove it," Donna said softly, and Morgana deflated slightly.

"You do anything like that again and I will take you straight home," the Doctor promised.

"You don't know  _how_  to take me home," said Morgana, turning and sweeping out of the console room.

Donna looked at the Doctor. "Don't say it," he said, slumping down onto the pilot's seat.

Donna sat down next to him. "Say what?"

"The Racnoss."

"I wasn't going to. But, she's not wrong, she did save our lives."

"Donna, you saw her, she didn't hesitate. This isn't the first time she's killed someone."

"Then maybe she needs someone to stop her."

"Her very own Donna Noble."

"Nah," Donna shoved him affectionately, he nearly slid off the end of the pilot's seat. "You've got the one and the only."

*

Donna found Morgana in the TARDIS kitchen, sitting at the table. In her hands was the dagger she'd used to slit the throat of the Emperor of Thallis IV.

"No deadly weapons at the table," Donna informed her. She then went to the cupboard and pulled out the biscuit tin. "We're all out of chocolate biscuits, have a garibaldi instead."

"The Doctor hates me," said Morgana.

"No, he doesn't. He's angry and disappointed. He thought you were better than that."

"He's wrong," said Morgana dully, and took another garibaldi. 

"Where did you get the knife, anyway?" Donna asked. "The Doctor doesn't like weapons aboard the TARDIS, he even blunts the butter knives when I'm not looking."

"I had it with me when I came aboard. It was a gift... from my brother."

"I didn't know you had a brother."

"And a sister."

"Big family, that must be nice."

"You have no idea."

"The Doctor will calm down, you know."

*

The Doctor did indeed calm down. 

In the middle of the next week - after he regaled Morgana with the story of how he'd lost a hand in a swordfight - Donna walked in on them running in circles around the console room re-enacting the battle with toy lightsabers.

Never work with children or Time Lords.

*

They went back to Earth and Donna tried to convince Morgana to find something less conspicuous to wear. A metal corset was probably the opposite of inconspicuous, but at least she managed to talk Morgana out of carrying the sword. 

"I like it," said the Doctor of Morgana's sartorial choice.

He would, he could probably see his reflection in it.

*

By unspoken mutual agreement the Doctor and Donna decide that letting Morgana anywhere near the Daleks was probably a bad idea.

"No, you stay with Sylvia and Wilf," said the Doctor.

"But--" Morgana started to argue.

"Morgana, they're my family."

Morgana nodded. "I'll protect them with my life."

Morgana was forever making slightly odd pronouncements, but at least she didn't smirk after this one, so she was probably serious.

*

"Your grandfather's gone up the hill with that  _girl_ ," Sylvia informed them when they got back. There was subtext to everything Donna's mother said, this meant: "I don't know how you managed to find someone stranger than the Doctor, my girl, but you have."

*

They found Morgana and Wilf looking through his telescope and laughing. There wasn't a smirk in sight. 

Wilf walked them back to the TARDIS arm in arm with Morgana.

The Doctor grumbled, "I show her the wonders of time and space and get nothing but smirking and sarcasm as a thank you. Your grandfather lets her look through a telescope and feeds her some jam sandwiches and she's his friend for life."

"Yeah, but Gramps is better than you."

"Thanks, Donna, you're such a mate."

*

Things rattled along quite cheerfully for a while, and then Morgana exploded a teacup just by looking at it.

Which, yeah, was weird. Mainly because Donna got splattered with lukewarm tea.

Weirder still was the way Morgana backed into the corner looking terrified and started scrabbling at the counter as though searching for something to use as a weapon. Thank goodness for the Doctor and his habit of blunting the butter knives. 

The Doctor advanced on her with the sonic screwdriver and what colour was left in Morgana's face drained away. 

"Please don't kill me."

"Morgana," Donna began softly, "it's just the Doctor. You've seen the Doctor use the sonic screwdriver a hundred times."

"I..."

"Ah hah!" shouted the Doctor. "Just as I thought, background psychic ability augmented by the artron energy from time travel."

"What are you going to do to me?" asked Morgana desperately. 

"Nothing," said the Doctor. "Well, we might ask you to leave the room when the kettle's boiling." 

"What does this mean?" asked Donna.

"Basically, it means that Morgana can explode crockery with her mind. Good, isn't it?"

Good wasn't really the word Donna would have chosen, but Morgana still looked like she was about to be sick so Donna said, "Yeah, course it is. Have a biscuit, Princess."

*

On a small planet somewhere to the left of the Milky Way they saved the royal family from a murderous plot and were rewarded with titles and an elaborate feast. 

For the first time one of Morgana's ridiculous silk and velvet ensembles didn't look terribly out of place. She danced with the crown prince and then with his sister the princess, who both had shimmery light blue skin. 

After the ceremony they walked back to the TARDIS and the Doctor tried out their new titles. "Duke Doctor and Duchess Donna."

"Shows a disturbing fondness for alliteration if you ask me," said Donna, pretending not to be pleased. 

"And," said the Doctor, ignoring her. "The Lady Morgana. Wait, hang on, you were a ladyship before you met us, weren't you? So that makes you the Lady Morgana Squared."

Colour rose in Morgana's cheeks, which Donna suspected had more to do with the attentions of the blue twins than her new title.

*

Eventually the Doctor found a way to counter the interference and return Morgana to her rightful time and place. Not only did this throw Morgana into the most godawful snit, but it resulted in the Doctor and Donna being immediately thrown into the dungeons for kidnapping and witchcraft.

"Doctor? Donna? Are you down here?"

"Morgana? You've stopped sulking, then?"

"Donna! How is that helpful?"

"I'm just saying--"

"I've got the key," interrupted Morgana, turning it in the lock. "The TARDIS is still where you parked it. Uther was too scared to have it moved, he suspects it of being enchanted."

The Doctor and Donna followed Morgana back through the dungeons, at the bottom of a set of stairs several guards were sprawled bonelessly. 

"Mor _gana_ ," the Doctor admonished. 

"They're only unconscious," said Morgana defensively.

"Yes, well. We'll talk about this back on the TARDIS."

"You want me to come too? Really?"

The Doctor looked her up and down. "You'll only get yourself into trouble if we leave you here, won't you?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "That's Doctor speak for: "we'd love you to come.""


	2. Coda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the timestamp meme on lj/dw for fitz_y, who requested a coda set three years after the end of the original fic.

Using some sixth sense available only to Time Lords, the Doctor knew that it was Christmas Day. This despite the fact that the three of them were half a galaxy away from Earth and it was, local time, the middle of July.

He and Donna rounded up Morgana, who had either been attempting to foment a small local revolution or trying to impress a pretty girl - and one day Donna was going to sit her down and have a chat about how the two things should really be easier to distinguish between - and they all trooped back to the TARDIS.

And landed on Sylvia Noble's begonias on, miracle of miracles, Christmas morning.

*

"You could have called and said you were coming," said Sylvia, "I don't know if I've made enough food."

"Mum, you always make enough to feed five hundred."

"And there's no presents."

"I don't need anything, and the Doctor and Morgana only need something shiny to look at."

Donna, Sylvia and Wilf paused, waiting for an indignant response that never came; the Doctor and Morgana having found a family sized box of chocolates to investigate.

*

They watched the Queen's Speech. Well, it was tradition, and Wilf liked it.

The Doctor told scandalous stories about Queen Elizabeth, but as he kept getting which Liz he was talking about muddled up, no one was sure if he meant the _current_ Queen Elizabeth.

Morgana, who as a rule was not a fan of monarchies, seemed broadly in favour of a ruling queen.

*

They let Morgana carve the turkey, because it was probably cruel to show her the carving knife and not let her use it.

Donna passed her sprouts to Wilf when Sylvia wasn't looking, just like she had when she was six. The Doctor spied her doing it, and started passing his sprouts to Wilf too.

*

Morgana had seen in three Christmases in the TARDIS and still didn't fully understand the tradition. Mostly they seemed to involve larger than usual alien invasions; her favourite had been the one where she'd got to cleave off a Dalek eyestalk with her sword.

Still, she pulled a cracker with Wilf cheerfully enough, and anyone trying to take the purple paper crown away from her was going to have a fight on their hands.

*

The Doctor and Morgana sat in front of the television, casting glances over their shoulders at Donna who was in the kitchen with her mother and grandfather.

"Nice, isn't it?" said the Doctor. "Family, I mean."

"Yes," agreed Morgana. "I mean, to visit, you couldn't do it every day."

"No, well, certainly not with your family, and certainly not if you still had that carving knife hidden up your sleeve."

"I was going to put it back before we went," said Morgana, defensively.


End file.
